Are you exhausted by your baby’s nights and want to try the 5-10-15 method? TipsForWomens interviewed pediatrician Dr Anna Boctor to ask her opinion on this technique and here is her answer.
This is something that parents know well: after the birth of a child, nights are often chaotic and punctuated by nocturnal awakenings. If during the child’s first months it is not possible to do otherwise, in particular because of waking up to breastfeed, after this period, some parents are tempted to apply the 5-10-15 method.
What is the 5-10-15 method?
The 5-10-15 method is a method to help children become independent when falling asleep.
It can nevertheless be difficult to live with, because it consists of putting the child to sleep, after a bedtime ritual and letting him cry, for at least five minutes, before going to see him and talking to him, then waiting ten minutes before going there a second time, if the crying has not stopped and finally going to the child a third time afterwards, having allowed fifteen minutes to pass this time, and taking him in his arms if after these three attempts, the child did not calm down and fall asleep on his own. Hence the name 5-10-15.
Should this method be implemented if a child has difficulty sleeping through the night?
The 5-10-15 method is not recommended by pediatrician Anna Boctor. When questioned, she explains that “it is not a method that she recommends to her patients, because sleep, scientifically speaking, does not obey strict rules: the child may be bothered by noise, digestive discomfort or another reason. she explains first.
Moreover, she rightly recalls, “each parent knows their child better than anyone else, the advice that we can read is only recommendations, to stay on course, but if a parent feels that their child needs them, needs a hug, they should not not that he deprives himself of it“.
The feeling of security, essential for peaceful sleep
Rather than this method which creates a feeling of insecurity in the child, who has “the feeling that their needs are not being met“, the pediatrician recommends focusing on the child’s feeling of security. “Children are like us: they won’t fall asleep if they don’t feel calm and safe.” indicates the specialist.
“It is therefore necessary to establish a routine so that they recognize the time of bedtime, even for naps, and then put them to sleep awake. If the child can fall asleep, it’s a win“says the pediatrician.”Otherwise, you have to persevere and get help from your partner, because often it is women who manage the nights alone and it is very difficult, psychologically.”.
Avoid the bottle trap at night
Finally, the specialist shares one last tip on a baby’s nights. “As a rule, a child after six months no longer needs to eat at night. But this is, once again, not an absolute rule! But often, the problem with the night bottle is that it is installed to make it easier to fall asleep at night, during a viral episode, for example. It quickly becomes a habit, which is very difficult for the child to break. she notes.
“It is best to avoid this if possible and soothe the child in another way. Moreover, generally speaking, we avoid putting a child to bed immediately after a meal, for greater comfort. she adds. “And if the child doesn’t sleep through the night after six months, we adapt, we don’t make the parents feel guilty because with children, we do what we can.” she concludes.
